This is how hackers stole your data to blackmail you-proiezionidiborsa.it
A group of hackers, called Hive, over the years has affected thousands of victims, stealing data and money. In recent days, thanks to the teamwork of several international police agencies, this gang has been defeated. That’s how!
With the advent of digitization and with the increasingly massive use of online devices and services, the risk of cyber attacks and theft of sensitive data has risen sharply. In recent years there has been a lot of awareness on issues relating to cyber securityboth on a personal and industrial level.
Taking effective cybersecurity measures, therefore, is now more than ever one priority of all. Even more so if we think that i data and information is currently an invaluable resource, both for companies and for individuals. Their loss, or compromise, in fact, could have harmful consequences at every level, from privacy of the individual to the very stability of large companies and public administrations.
A gang of criminals dismantled by international authorities
In light of this growing awareness, it is a latter-day one news which can give us at least good hope. FBI and EUROPOL have foiled, in fact, one of the gangs of ransomware most dangerous in the world, known as Hives. This group of cybercriminals, in 2022 alone, targeted over 1,500 victims in 80 countries around the world, including hospitals, schools, financial companies and other critical infrastructures. But what is Hive and how did they operate?
This group of cybercriminals, in 2022 alone, targeted over 1,500 victims in 80 countries around the world-proiezionidiborsa.it
What is Hive and how they used ransomware to steal data and extort money
Hive was nothing more than a group of cyber criminals who, following a pyramid scheme, operated in the RaaS business, i.e. “ransomware-as-a-service”. In practice, they spread ransomware around the world, encrypting and blocking access to data from thousands of computer systems.
In this way (and herein lies the real gain) they asked the victims for large sums of moneyhow ransom, in exchange for the access keys and data that they themselves had stolen. Among the companies affected in 2022, you may remember, there was also Trenitalia which, following the attack, had to disconnect the self-service ticket offices throughout the peninsula.
How the FBI and EUROPOL foiled Hive and what we can do in our small way to stay safe
The operation conducted by FBI and Europolwhich thwarted ransom demands amounting to 120 million euros, bodes well, but it won’t spell the end of ransomware attacks. Indeed, it is possible that in the coming months there will be a new competitor to Hive who will take the reins of the game offering a service similar to theirs.
In our small way, we just have to protect ourselves as much as possible from these and other cyber attacks, by adopting basic security solutions.
In our small way, we just have to protect ourselves as much as possible from these and other cyber attacks, adopting basic security solutions-proiezionidiborsa.it
For example, remember:
- always update the operating system and software applications installed on our devices;
- perform a regular backup of your data on an external medium and not connected to your device;
- avoid opening suspicious attachments or links from unknown or suspicious sources;
- use a reliable antivirus software and keep the firewall always active.
